Composite electrode.



E. C. SPBIDEN.

COMPOSITE ELBGTRODE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. 1910.

,032,250. A` v Patented July 9, 1912.

- UNITED sTATEs ljTENT 'OFFICE' EBEN o. SPEIDEN, or Niacin-.aa FALLS, NEW Yoan, Ass'IeNoR To INTEnNATIoNAL AcHEsoN GRAPHITE COMPANY, 'or NIAGARA FALLS, NEW YORK, A coRPoEATIoN or NEW rEasEY.

Sp'eoiication of Letters Patent.

Application filed Hay 17, 1910. Serial No. 561,849.

coMPosrrE ELEo'rRobE.

Patented July 9, 1912.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I EBEN C. SPEIDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Composite Electrodes, of which the following is a Speciication.

This invention relates to electrodes designed particularly for electrot-hermic work, as for example the production of steel or other metallic products in the electric furnace. 'For such purposes carbon electrodes, either graphit-ic or non-graphitic, are commonly employed, and these are often of very large dimensions. With such electrodes however the unit cost of manufacture increases with the size above a certain limit,

and it becomes moreover increasingly ditfiv cult to secure uniformity between the units and homogeneity of each unit. Hence it often occurs that the larger sizes of electrodes are of inferior quality, and a cheaper and better elect-rode may be made'by assembling a plurality of individual pieces, bars or lates in conductive relation toeach other. It 1s further often desirable in electrothermic work that the electrode should be so constructed that it may be fed continuously to the furnace in proportion as it is consumed, and for this purpose it is common to machine the ends of the electrodes in such manner that new lengths may be added as required. j'

According to the present invention a plurality of bars or plates of graphitic or nongraphitic carbon, or of other suitable electrode material, are assembled to form a composite electrode', the manner of assembling the bars being such as to secure a high degree of electrical conductivity in the Acomsions, the conformation required to providel a joint being secured by assembling these standard bars in a certain definite longitudinal relation to each other.

Referring to the drawings, the electrode is illustrated as consisting of four laterally juxtaposed rectangular bars l, 2, 3, 4. Of these'bars, that numbered l is t-he shortest, 2 somewhat longer, 3 longer than 2,'.and 4 the longest. These bars are secured together laterally in conductive relation, preferably by means of carbon or graphite pins 5, and together constitute what may be described as the initial working end of the electrode.

In alinement with the bars l, 2, 3, 4, are disposed bars la, 2a, 3, 4a, of similar section, the last-mentioned bars being of uniform length and secured together and to the bars constituting the initial working end of the electrode by"transversepins 5 or otherwise in such manner as to produce a mechanically strong composite block. By reason of the staggered relation of the joints the composite electrode possesses at all transverse sections an electrical conductivity which fairly approximates its maximum conduc- In the construction illustrated in Figs. l and 3 the ends of the alined bars merely abut, a filling of powdered graphite vor graphitic cement being interposed if desired to improve the conductivity of the joint. Or the conductivity may be improved by increasing the surface of. contact at the joints in any preferred manner; for example the bars may be provided with. projections 6 adapted to engage recesses 7 in the ends of the adjacent bars, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In use the current is conveyed to the composite electrode by means of any suitable terminal adjustable thereon, as indicated by way of example at 8 in Fig. 4. As the electrode is consumed the position of the terminal is shifted, additional bars being applied and secured as the operation proceeds.

While I have illustrated a composite electrode composed of four parallel members, each member consisting of any desired number of alined bars, it is to be understood that.

the invention is not restricted to any particular number of members, as these may be multiplied as desired in order 't' `lmake a composite electrode ofthe desir 'section from units of any convenient dimensions.

I claimv 1. An electrode consisting of a plurality of prismatic members of electrically conductive material assembled in conductive relation t0 each other, the saidmembers terminating in different planes, whereby additional members of like form may be added as required.

2. An electrode consisting of a plurality of prismatic members of electrically conductive material assembled in conductive relation to each other, the said members terminating in different lanes, whereby additional members of 1i e form may be added as required, in combination with a terminal adjustable on the electrode'.

In lcestimon whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence o two witnesses.

EBEN C. SPEIDEN.

Witnesses:

WM. AcHEsoN SMITH, FRNK- N. COE." 

